Cabin Trip
by addagirl
Summary: Sakura-tachi are going on a field trip... generally light-hearded, various undertones, colorful language, black mail.... oops... i mean... uhh... well, it's an S+S, read and review! Oh, here's a hint: Seclusion on a mountain... what scandal shall insue
1. Prologue: The Plan

Prologue:  
The Plan  
  
It's Sakura Kinomoto's Junior Year in High School.  
She is 17 years old.  
  
Sakura bounced into homeroom; Sakura didn't walk, for to walk was to be of the norm; Sakura Kinomoto, the ultra genki kaijuu (Sakura: Sakura is NOT a kaijuu!) was waaaaay too genki to be of the norm. She was actually on time today-- no, 4 minutes early. Naoko, Rika, and Chiharu sweat dropped at the prospect of an early Sakura. It was just so… unnatural. Tomoyo, however, gave a tinkering laugh and nonchalantly approached her friend.  
  
"Ohayo, Sakura-chan," Tomoyo began. Then, "Let's go sit down." As they neared the spot that Tomoyo had indicated, at the far corner of the classroom (the usual highschool hang out), Tomoyo continued speaking, groping for a topic to distract her Precious Sakura-chan from the unguarded 'oh my God!'s and 'What the hell?'s that accompanied Sakura being anything other than barely on time. She gave the Look over her shoulder at the insolent teens that would so disillusion her friend.  
  
"Check out this kawaii skirt!" Tomoyo continued, her brow smoothing with the satisfaction of discovering a neutrally engrossing topic. "I got it in the Philippines when I was visiting my..." A pause. "Sakura? Sakuuuuuraaaaaa!…."   
  
Tomoyo spoke into Sakura's ear; like a toothpick hitting the Liberty Bell, for all the effect one saw; Sakura did not even deign to blink. Tomoyo followed Sakura's intent gaze across the room, and found the cause of her dear Sakura-chan's spaciation (well how else do you say 'spaced-outness'? =oP). Tomoyo's glossy lips curved into a devilish smile. She took a breath. The Calm.  
  
"Li Syaoran, why are you standing way over there!?" She bellowed, drawing the attention of most of the class. The Storm.  
  
"Tomoyo! SHUT UP! TOMO-YOOO!" Tomoyo ignored Sakura's frantic pleas.  
  
"Li! Li~i!" Syaoran was turning his blushing face in the opposite direction as he hurried toward a group of nearby males, looking thoroughly harassed.  
  
"Sakura?" Sakura turned to face her friend-- more accurately, her video camera. She bore down on the brunt of her embarrassment and tried to force the redness from her cheeks. "You're blushing. I think I'll call this 'Carmine Sakura'." The comment elicited a sharper flow of pink to Sakura's face.  
  
"Yeah, Sakura, I noticed that you started turning red as soon as Li-san walked in," Rika pressed.  
  
" I--" She had begun to deny it, but it was irrevocably true; the moment he had walked over the tiled threshold of the room, Sakura had started having… thoughts. Thoughts that apparently inspired her to wear scarlet on her face like a beacon. 'Hoe! What's wrong with me! Just seeing Syao-- Li-kun makes me feel woozy! If he ever initiated conversation with me, I'd probably fall over!'  
  
Before she could cudgel her thoughts into order, the teacher walked in, dubiously excited.  
  
"Okay, class! I've got a big surprise for you all! This year's field trip is going to be a double take! Instead of going in groups of 5 to the mountains, we're going to break up into couples; boy/girl, girl/girl, or boy/boy; you may choose your own partner--"  
  
"But sensei, what about the field trip?"  
  
"Yeah, we can't cancel the field trip for no fu-- err, stinkin' project!"  
  
"Ah, but there's the beauty of it: It's a project and field trip in one! A double   
take! Now, we shall be lodging 2 couples to a cabin, chaperoned of course. Each 'couple' will receive a 'child' to take care of as they see fit. If the chaperone decides that you are neglecting your child, you shall have points deducted. You may call friends over to have get-togethers, request babysitters, et cetera. You shall be acting as families of the same mountain village. You shall receive fake money to begin with from your work place. I shall be giving out permission slips with more detailed information at the end of the day. Partner selection will begin after the permission slips are turned in."  
  
"You mean we may have to share a room with a girl?"  
  
"You choose your own partner, doofus! Not that any girl *would* live with you. At least not by her own will."  
  
Conversation continued in this manner, until the sensei raised a hand for silence.  
  
"I would like for you all to put this to the back of your minds and concentrate on today's lesson… class… class? Oh, lord."  
  
The students ignored the teacher's cries for silence, writing down supply lists, ideal partners, talking about who their lucky groom would be, etc.  
  
As everyone settled down, thumbs twiddling, eyes sparkling, anxiety and excitement causing itches, there sat one girl, one lavender-eyed girl, perfectly still; a dot of black, unmoving in a swirling sea of color. She thought furiously, incessantly, with a mind possessed; if you can call outfit design and match making possession.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Tomoyo glided down the curved, spiraling marble steps of her home, her brain toiling feverishly. She was smiling all the while, revising the details of her plan. 'Well, that might work… or… I don't know… maybe… hmmm…' The only thoughts that remained lucid, however, were 'This is going to be *good*', and 'with just a little more ribbon, we have perfection'.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Naoko hurried down the street in her brand new, custom made sneakers, wondering why she was walking. Her parents had bought her a Benz-Corvette, of which she was only slightly ashamed. Her father was the owner of the business that they had bought the car from; she still reddened at the thought of that ominous day.  
  
Flash  
  
"Okay, honey, you go out there, and you pick any car you want. Any one!"  
  
"Really? You mean it Dad?"  
  
"Of course, sweet pea! Any car you want" he admonished.  
  
Naoko was not really a compulsive girl; she took her time, closely scrutinizing each car that she passed. She thought that she had made a round on the entire lot before she found it: a metallic purple Mercedes Benz-Corvette-- her favorite car in her favorite color. She knew that she and the car were meant for each other. She stood beside her car-to-be and gestured grandly, like a model at a car show. It would have been picture perfect; if not for the evil minion hovering over head, who'd chosen that very moment to empty the ramparts of its lunch onto the car's hood.  
  
Her father looked at the price, ignoring the huge black-speckled splotch; "50,000 dollars!? What the hell's going on here? What idiot sets these prices?"  
  
Naoko, nearly in tears over the poo incident, stopped, dumbfounded.  
  
"Daddy… You do…"  
  
"Oh… eh hehehe, yeah…" After a few more moments of embarrassed silence, her father said,  
  
"Yeah, well, I think that 50,000 is asking a little much… I'd say 15 thou seems more reasonable." He took out one of those spray cans that dealers used to mark down prices (which he just happened to have in his coat pocket), and, looking around suspiciously, changed the price; it now read "$15,000".  
  
"And we'll have it cleaned and waxed, too. No one need ever know about this little… err… poo poo problem." He had been gesturing wildly, the spray can still in his hand, and speaking in an unnecessarily loud voice. People turned to see the spectacle; they were getting their first glimpse of Naoko's glamorous car-- spattered in bird terd.  
  
Flash  
  
Naoko gave a mental shudder at the memory and decided to pick up her pace; whatever it was that Tomoyo had planned, it was very urgent.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chiharu stepped through the door, soaking wet, her cute aqua dress clinging to her form. She stood on the welcome mat, trying not to leak onto the marble tiles. She was the last person to arrive at Tomoyo's house, since she had been at Takashi's (now what were ya'll up to that required so much attention? Chiharu: Shut up!). She was also the only person to get caught in the rain that poured like meticulously crafted anvils.  
  
Tomoyo's dark purple, highlighted hair appeared from the dark nothingness of the entryway.  
Tomoyo briefly studied her friend's appearance, gasping,  
  
"Oh, my goodness! I'll make some mint tea; there're towels and blankets in the first closet to your right, right down that hallway. It's right before the bathroom. You can borrow some clothes, if you want." Tomoyo pointed to another closet. "You can tell us all that happened when you're done."  
  
"Oh, thank you so much, Tomoyo-chan!"  
  
"What are friends for?" Tomoyo smiled.  
  
Chiharu jogged down the hall, grabbed an over-sized shirt and shorts from the mentioned closet, then grabbed a towel and stepped into the bathroom. She peeled off her cold, wet dress, easing into the bathtub to take a quick shower.   
  
When she emerged, smelling like lavender flowers, she toweled dry and slipped into the clothing she had found. She would have to go bare foot; her shoes were soaked.  
  
By the time she joined the others, the tea was being served, and small cookies were set all over the table, along with other hors 'devours. She plopped down among all of her friends, murmuring a weak "Hey…"  
  
Someone shoved a cup of minty smelling tea under her nose, which she gladly accepted.  
  
"So, what happened to you?"  
  
Chiharu told them all that she had been studying (mmmhmm o.O) with Takashi when she got a call on her cell, which she hadn't taken with her to Takashi's room. She had started walking to Tomoyo's, when the rain over took her.  
  
"And here I find myself," She ended, sipping the tea, feeling relaxation envelope her very being. (gotta love that mint tea!)  
  
"That's gotta suck," Someone said. Curiously, Chiharu noted that Tomoyo had invited all the girls in their class instead of just 'The Girls'-- herself, Naoko, Rika, and Tomoyo.  
  
"Yeah," was the murmured agreement.  
  
"Well, you guys, let's get down to business," Tomoyo began. "We are all aware that there is a field trip starting Friday and ending after 7 days, correct?" she questioned.  
  
They nodded their understanding.  
  
"Well, I believe we are also aware that there is a certain cute couple that needs help starting their relationship?"  
  
"Cut the crap, Tomoyo. Just say 'Sakura and Syaoran'!"  
  
The other girls giggled.  
  
"Well, if you are all already aware that there is this dilemma, let us now take measures necessary to its repudiation." (Sound like Eriol to you?)  
  
"Tomoyo-chan, what are you saying?" The general confusion in the air was almost tangible.  
  
"I've got a plan."  
  
"Ohhh!" Comprehension-- relief.  
  
"Alright. Now, here's the deal: You will each ask your assigned person to be your partner, okay? There's an uneven number of kids in our class, so one of us will have to go with the teacher."  
  
"Oh, me! MEEE!" Exclaimed Rika.  
  
"Sure Rika, that'd be great. Now, Naoko, you will go with Gene."  
  
"Oh, he's so cute!"  
  
"Yeah, anyway, Ayame and Ayane, you guys have Tenchi and Tenchu. Zat cool?"  
  
"SureSure," came the not-quite-unison reply.  
  
"Alright. Usagi, Darien; Molly, Nephrite; Zoi, Malachite; is that alright?"  
  
"Kick ass!"  
  
"Okay…" The exchange was carried on thus, with sighing or cheering at the pairs, eager trading of husbands, etc. Finally, Tomoyo wrapped it up.  
  
"Okay, Chiharu, you've got Takashi, and I'll be with you, Meiling."  
"Cool."  
  
"Now, if everybody's satisfied, let's have some fun, ne? Okay, you guys, make sure you pack make up and dress up clothes; PLENTY of frills; if you don't have any, see me, I've got plenty of extra lace and ribbons." Tomoyo smiled. "There's no WAY we'll be bored on this trip!" The entire room sweat dropped. The girls overcame their uneasiness, mentally giving in to Tomoyo's well known volition. Not letting the mood died, someone bellowed a good natured,  
  
"Yeah, let's party!"  
  
Tomoyo turned on her new disco ball and funky music, then brought out the party food-- chips and dips and everything junkie.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Sooooo…? What say you? This is the first chapter of Cabin Trip. Should I continue it? I've got the next 2 1/2 chapters just about done, so yay or nay, just say (sucky attempt at rhyming; I don't write poetry, I play soccer!) Please review! I beg of thee! PLEEEAAASSSEEE! You could just say "nice story" or, "man, that sucked! end it now, please!" in the little box below, and I'd be content… And also, I would appreciate anyone reviewing my other fic… please… please? I LIVE for feed back!  
  
And by the way:  
  
[Insert standard disclaimer here] [Applicable to any and all extensions]  



	2. Chapter 2: Stupid Teachers

Chapter 2:  
Stupid Teachers  
  
"Ohayo, minna!" Sakura cheerily approached the hang out spot at the back of the classroom; She tossed her honey-glossed hair to the side, her face cracked with a smile.  
  
"Ohayo, Sakura-chan! Hehehe!" Everyone seemed giddy about something. Sakura narrowed her eyes in suspicion. (Sakura's not so clueless anymore, ne?)  
  
"What're you guys so happy about?" She asked, peering at them as though a single look could discern their intent.  
  
"Oh, nothing, hehehe!" All the girls in the class shifted uneasily, placing hands over their mouths to hide their smug grins.  
  
Sakura's suspicions were confirmed: they were up to something. She tried to shake it off and enjoy the morning. They had turned in their permission slips yesterday and were going to pick partners today. The class would begin their voyage tomorrow.  
  
"Okay, class, settle down. There shall be but 10 math problems for homework today, so that you may all have more time to pack." Terada sensei had entered with this announcement and a bright smile for his class.  
  
"Yay!"  
  
"Shh, shh! Anyway, today we shall have Math, English, and Science. After break, we shall have a long discussion on survival, and then write 3 paragraphs about what we shall do in 'The Real World.'"  
  
'Why! Why must there always be Math? WHY!' Sakura's eyes were spiraling, a load of sweat drops at the back of her head. She really sucked at math. (Sakura: Hey! I don't SUCK; I just don't like it! Adda: Whatever. ^.^)  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
As the day wore on, the students had been preoccupied, breezing through their lessons with little or no effort; it seemed that the true purpose of having class at all was for Mr. Terada to torture their young minds with questions so easy that they were chained to the inevitable walk of boredom.  
  
Sakura sat through 3rd hour, staring at the sensei; her placidly spiraling eyes were a sharp contrast to her blank mind; suddenly she noticed a small flash of white appear on the corner of her desk; the ornately illustrated purple edges suggested that someone had worked hard to create this beautiful paragon of gel pen art. She smiled; it was from Tomoyo.  
  
Meiling already asked me--  
  
Sakura's eyebrows furrowed, but she continued.  
  
Meiling already asked me, so I cant be your partner, Sakura. I'm so sorry. Please understand. I'm sure you'll find someone else.  
  
Someone else? The thought struck her, as a thunder bolt splits a tree. She and Tomoyo were ALWAYS partners, for everything! Was hell freezing over? She was shocked at her own thoughts, and visibly shaken. Wait. She knew this would happen one day and she thought she had prepped herself for it…  
  
Sakura heard a tiny… growl.  
  
"Mrrph!"  
  
Sakura smiled slightly; she knew that something had happened to Li. 'Li.' The thought widened the smile that played at the corners of her mouth; her cheeks took on rosy hues. 'Li Syaoran'.   
  
'Hello, Sakura this is reality speaking. Li Syaoran is a scowling boy who does not like you; he barely considers you a friend. And Yukito does not love you either.'  
  
The rosiness abruptly drained from Sakura's face; her eyes, no longer starry, misted with salty liquid. Yukito didn't love her. Sakura banished the thoughts; and her sadness. She decided to write a note;  
  
Hey, Li! Is there something wrong? What's the matter; you sound upset.  
  
Sakura  
  
When she had finished, she folded it up into a neat origami swan, fitting the creation to the palm of her hand. She "stretched", depositing the note on the desk behind her.  
  
After a while, she saw another flash of white at the bottom corner of her desk, just as Terada-sensei had turned his back; this one bore no fancy plumage. She smiled; Li had replied. She carefully unfolded the note. As she read it, her face fell.  
  
It's none of your business.  
  
Sigh. 'Oh well'. 'What did you expect?' She then re-read Tomoyo's note… Please understand. She tried to understand. She *did* understand, She told herself. But still, a curious sense of 'wrong' formed at the thought of any arrangement not being Kinomoto and Daidouji, Daidouji and--  
  
" Kinomoto Sakura, since you were concentrating so hard, why don't you come work out this problem on the overhead?" Sensei's arm was still outstretched on the overhead as his agitated gaze pinned her.  
  
"O… Okay, Terada-sensei," she complied. Her brow furrowed once more.  
  
Sakura walked to the overhead; her feet protested, dragging, her eyes remained glued to the floor, her mind worked furiously. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, looked down. Her face broke into a relieved smile; it was just factoring! She allowed herself to breathe.  
  
"Oh, sorry, not that one." Terada-sensei reached a traitorous hand out and scrolled the overhead projector up. "This one."  
  
"Hai!" Sakura smiled at the sensei. She looked down and read the problem;  
  
Jimmy and Janice want to build a clubhouse, using 3,473-sq. ft. of total volume. The clubhouse is 2 stories tall, and in an elliptical shape. If f= mV, y= m(x) + b, a^4 + 203= 70m, and e= mC(squared), what is the radius of the lamp that takes up .3348923-sq. ft. of volume on the 2nd floor?  
  
Sakura's breath caught. She gulped for air, desperately trying to restore her senses. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.  
  
She looked again at the problem, and each moment that it remained the same, her troubled green eyes grew a fraction wider.  
  
Sakura's eyes resumed spiraling, as she tried to figure out where to begin.  
  
Terada-sensei seemed to be on a mean streak; instead of letting Sakura sit down and calling someone else up to solve the problem, he suddenly snarled,  
  
"Well, Kinomoto-san. I hope you were paying attention, because you will not be allowed to go on the field trip if you leave here without answering this question. Correctly."  
  
Tomoyo and a few other students gasped. A trip without Sakura-chan? What about all of their careful planning? Oh, Terada-san, why! You know Sakura's terrible in math!  
  
As the bell for lunch rang, Sakura stared at the overhead, as if blinking at it would summon the answer from her tremulous mind. She had yet to write anything on the laminated sheet.  
  
"Kinomoto-san, you will take your lunch in the classroom. Rika-san will get your food for you and bring it here in your stead."  
  
Sakura's friends, on their way out to lunch, each cast sad looks at her. Some were more apologetic, as if to say "I'm so sorry, Sakura…" Sakura looked into Tomoyo's misty lavender orbs. As Sakura gazed deeper, however, she saw the emotion change from sadness to anger. Tomoyo then glanced at Terada-sensei and pursed her lips, lifting her nose as she swept out of the room.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Poor Sakura-chan," said Rika as she sat down in the group that had already gathered, dolefully beginning their first un-genki lunch.  
  
"She had just started marking out distracters when I brought her food. And the wrong ones, at that."  
  
"Why did Terada-sensei do this? He's usually not like this!" Chiharu exclaimed, the corners of her mouth down turned in malaise.  
  
"I'll tell you why," said Tomoyo, sounding darkly serious. "It's because Sakura-chan is not very good in math and he doesn't want her on the field trip." She said it matter-of-factly, as if it were the most undeniably true thing in the world.  
  
"Yeah, that, but why doesn't he want her to go, I mean," said Naoko.  
  
"Because he hates her."  
  
"WHY!" Meiling was disconcerted at the thought of anyone disliking Sakura, let alone HATING her. She herself had been the only one to ever dislike her, and that had been a based on childish, charlatan jealousy. Now Sakura was among her closest friends.  
  
"… I don't know," Tomoyo confessed proscriptively.  
  
"Tomoyo-chan, you're such a drama queen!" Rika exclaimed. She looked with distaste on anyone who would question or deface Terada-chan with nescience. She continued.  
  
"Terada-sensei doesn't hate Sakura-chan; he just noticed that she wasn't paying attention."  
  
"But why was he so harsh?" Tomoyo countered, her arms folded coldly over her chest.  
  
"Maybe he wanted to make her an example?" Rika was giving ground, little by little; she really didn't know what had possessed Terada to prevent the most likable girl in the school from going on a class field trip. She frowned.  
  
"Well, I say we boycott the trip if he doesn't let Sakura-chan go," resolved Tomoyo.  
  
The others nodded their heads in assent.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
After break, Terada-sensei began explaining the details of the trip; there would be two people per room, 2 rooms per cabin, one chaperone per group, etc, etc.  
  
As he started specifying the activities that would get people thrown out of the cabin area, there were a few dirty jokes from the back of the room. Terada-sensei looked at the kids, sternly glaring. He ignored them, and, as he was continuing, there was a sudden rrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiiip, heard throughout the classroom. Sakura had been scribbling and erasing her answers furiously… apparently the paper couldn't handle her abrasive assault.  
  
Sakura stood up, slightly pink, and asked the teacher "Eh hehehe… do you think I could… uh… get a new paper? Uh this one kinda…." She held up the disjoined paper. "Uh… broke."  
  
The class hid smiles behind their hands. Sakura walked chagrinned to her desk, took out a sheet of paper, returned to her "study carol" at the front of the room, and began concentrating, furrowing her brow.  
  
When the essay part of the class finally came, the sensei let Sakura rest her mind for a little while, then gave her a prompt to write on. When the bell had rung, Sakura turned in her paper, hugging Tomoyo and her other close friends good bye.  
  
She got back to working and, after a long while, the sensei left. As she brushed the remnants of her eraser from her study carol, heading to her desk for more paper and pencils, she noticed a dark, moss-hued book bag.   
  
'Oh no', she thought. 'Li left his stuff… oh well, I'll give it to him on my way home.' She took the bag with her as she walked back up to the front of the classroom, settling into her work once more.  
  
Some time later, she glanced at the bag again, and a glint of white caught her eye. It said "Sakura".  
  
She timidly took out the note, looking to the left and right, as if she were doing something terribly clandestine. She opened the note. It read "7.26339-sq. ft." A smile brushed Sakura's lips; Li-kun had left her the answer to the problem. She wrote it on the back of her abused paper, brushed the curls of her last eraser from the study carol, and set her work on the sensei's desk.  
  
She gathered up her things, Li's bag among them, and began walking out of the classroom. When she got to the doorway, she bumped into someone.  
  
"Oh, I'm so sor-- Li!" She rubbed her lower back and looked up, into his brooding eyes.  
  
"Hey, Sakura." He said, lifting his scowl. The way he said her name was so… Sakura's cheeks grew rosy.  
  
"Oh, Li, thank you! Thank you so much!" Sakura threw her arms around his neck, hugging him gratefully. At first he just stood there, letting the smiling girl embrace him. Then, slowly raising a hand, he smoothly placed his palm on the small of her back, a half-hug. A slight smile melted the edges of the cold set of his mouth. As soon as he had touched Sakura, she relaxed in his hold, letting herself fall against him.  
Suddenly she remembered where she was… she remembered who this was. Li felt her tense in his grasp. He quickly stepped away from her, at the same time she stepped away from him. She bit her lower lip slightly, clasping her hands behind her back, scuffing the soles of her feet on the floor, looking anywhere but those beckoning, tawny-brown eyes.  
  
With a startling suddenness, she looked up and blurted out,   
  
"Here'syourbagIgottagoseeya!" And took off sprinting down the hall. Li was left standing in the hall way by himself, still wearing his soccer practice clothes. He blinked and slowly began the walk home.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
When Sakura got home, she began packing. Packing was no hard task; her mind began to wander. It stopped when she started thinking about Li. Funny, how it did that more and more of late.  
  
'Well, it was just a thank you hug,' She told herself. 'It doesn't mean he wants to be my friend now… or anything more.'  
  
But still.  
  
She remembered the moment vividly. The way she had been possessed by something to hug him like that. The way the he hadn't pulled away. The way she could smell him underneath all the practice smells of grass and sweat. The way her spine shivered when he touched her… She pushed all thoughts of Li to the back of her mind and focused on packing; She was leaving tomorrow! Thanks to Syaoran…  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Sakura was in the car with her brother, her two bags packed with clothes, shoes, toiletries, etc. She was thinking about what would happen during the trip, what she and Tomoyo would do. Then she remembered.  
  
Meiling already asked me, so I cant be your partner, Sakura. I'm sorry. Please understand. I'm sure you'll find someone else.  
  
Oh no… Sakura panicked, not knowing who she could partner up with. She tried to relax; Tomoyo was not her only friend, she reasoned.  
  
She entered the classroom, and, huffing and puffing, she greeted everyone cheerfully, dragging her bags behind her.  
  
"Ohayo… min…na…!"  
  
"Sakura!" There was shocked pleasure in each sing-song syllable as it emanated from the class.  
  
"Sakura, we thought you couldn't go…"  
  
Everyone began milling around sheepishly.  
  
"So what are all those signs you're holding?" Sakura looked equivocally about the room.  
  
"Eh… hehehe, see the thing is, we were gonna have a protest about you not being able to go, so… we were all over at my house and we made these signs…" Tomoyo seemed guilty. She blushed a deep, deep crimson. Her sign read 'We won't go without Kinomoto!'  
  
Sakura blushed; her friends' caring touched her.  
  
"Oh, you guys!" She said genkily, smiling.  
  
She had momentarily forgotten that she had no partner, when Mr. Terada began speaking.  
  
"Okay, you all. We have 1 hour before the bus comes to the train station. Before the partner selection begins, I should like to make known that there are two buses: 1 for people, the other for bags. Now, you may all choose your partners."  
  
You may all choose your partners… What am I gonna do!? Sakura then spotted Chiharu. She waved, running over to her.  
  
"Chiharu-chan, do you have a partner?"  
  
"Uh…" Chiharu looked over at Takashi. He was making his way toward her, his eyes closed and crinkling in a smile. "Yeah." She blushed.  
  
"Oh… okay, then, have fun!" Sakura returned to looking for her partner. "Naoko, do you have a partner?"  
  
"So sorry, Sakura-chan, but I do!" she offered a wan smile as complaisance.  
  
"Okay, then, good luck!" In about ten minutes, Sakura had discovered that everyone already had partners.  
  
"Okay, class. If you don't have a partner, come to the front of the room."  
  
Sakura pushed out her chair and stood up, setting her shoulders to make the desolate walk to the front of the room. When she made it to the front, she was surprised to see another pair of shoes beside hers; Li didn't have a partner.  
  
"So what happened?" She whispered.  
  
"Takashi cancelled for Chiharu," he growled. She didn't reply for a moment. He looked into her direction. He had intended to glance, but her eyes caught and held him, defenseless in their depths. It seemed like she actually cared.  
  
Her cheeks crossed a warm pink color as she looked away.  
  
"Ahem, Li Syaoran, Kinomoto Sakura, it would seem that you two are the only partnerless people in the class therefore, you will be paired together."  
  
Sakura's jaw went slack. She looked at the sensei, dazedly. He looked back as if she were crazy. He looked behind her and stifled a laugh with his hand. Sakura looked puzzled. She turned around and saw that Syaoran wore the same expression, his eyes still on the sensei. Sakura almost started laughing, putting a hand over her mouth to muffle the sound. But her eyes smiled nonetheless.  
  
Li snapped back to reality and looked around. When his eyes settled on Sakura, she was smiling. He put one hand behind his head and tried to shake off his awkward episode.  
  
"Eh… hehehe… Uh… " He stammered with embarrassment. Finally Sakura could hold her laughter no more.  
  
"Hahaha! Let's just sit down, okay? Hehehe," She said, panting with the effort it took to make the simple statement. Syaoran began walking toward his desk, her following, giggling most of the way. As he sat down, she flashed him a small smile that said "Thank You". 'Whatever could I have done for her to thank ME? Sigh, girls.'  
  
After a while of talking to each other, Terada-sensei sprang back to life.  
  
"Okay, everyone, grab your bags, the bus is here."  
  
Everyone hurriedly collected their over-stuffed bags, taking them out the doorway. As Sakura was dragging hers across the room, she heard someone clear their throat behind her.  
  
"I could carry that for you. If you like."  
  
It was Li. She turned to him, surprised; she was behind everyone else, she'd thought. Her surprised face melted into a smile.  
  
"Would you? That would be so nice of you."  
  
"Sure." Li bent over and scooped up her bags, heaving them over his shoulder with ease. "No problem." The corner of his mouth raised slightly, his scowl lifting.  
  
Sakura looked down then, pinkening.  
  
When they got to the cargo bus, Li gently put her things in, placing them neatly beside his own, as if her bags held some fragile cargo.  
  
He sensed eyes on his back. When he saw Sakura standing there, looking at him fondly, as if he were doing some great deed of kindness, he reddened slightly. He tried to cover the true nature of his redness by coughing. Sakura's eyes lit with concern.  
  
"Are you okay, Li?" She asked, tilting her head.  
  
"Uh… yeah. Let's go."  
  
They got on the bus, Sakura sitting by Tomoyo, chattering, smiling. Syaoran sat beside Takashi, glaring at him.  
  
And so began their mountain trip.  
  
  
]**********************************  
  
Lemme start by saying thank you SO much to all the people who reviewed! It makes me feel so special ^.^ (Not special ed!) But seriously, before I actually posted something I always thought 'Man… Authors really are pathetic, always begging for reviews…(^.^)' (Big, glassy eyes) But now I know… yes, I know why they are so pathetic… Feed back really IS the food for thought! It really DOES make people want to write more! So what did you think? no, don't SAY it, write it in the box… please? (I'm begging now…) PLease? (note that this entire author's note was an appeal to Bathos ^.^)  
  
{Disclaimer goes here}  



	3. Chapter 3a: And They're In

Chapter 3a:  
And They're In  
  
Sakura leaned closer, still closer to the limpid window, her nose almost converging with the cool, hard glass. Her hands were placed against it, on either side of her head, precariously supporting her weight. She was smiling, a display of vivacious teeth; as if she were happy that nature could be so beautiful, all on its on, with no help from mankind.  
  
She wore a casual, yellow cotton spaghetti-strap shirt, and a khaki skort, stretching ponderously over her--   
  
'Don't look. Don't look, Li. There is nothing to see in that direction. Talk to someone. Anyone. For the luvvagod, Li, Don't look!'  
  
Li sat in the same booth as Takashi, Chiharu, Rika, Naoko, Meiling, Tomoyo, a couple of guy-friends, and, of course, Sakura. He was desperately trying to avoid gawking at Sakura, more specifically, her posterior. He was about to start talking to Takashi, to distract himself, when suddenly Sakura exclaimed,  
  
"Look!" She was pointing at the window; her head whipped toward the other occupants of their booth. She gestured ecstatically at the countryside. Her friends began crowding around the window, looking out for what she saw.  
  
"See, it's right there! Don't you see it?"  
  
And then, all the girls looking out, balancing precariously on their knees, craning their necks, saw "it".  
  
"It" was a doe and deer, jumping gaily in the meadow, seeming to dance with one another, never quite touching.  
  
"Oh wow… it's so beautiful…" A collective sigh.  
  
"The girl is so graceful… see the way she points her hoof before landing?" Said Sakura, looking wistfully thoughtful. Li glanced, a streak of milk chocolate brown darting across his vision, enticing his gaze. As he watched, the doe leapt up, high into the air, arching her legs, pointing her cloven hoof, then landing with perfect ease, turning to face a patch of wild rhododendrons.  
  
"It's so… right, so… beautiful…" Said Li, gazing peacefully at the dancing deer. Sakura turned her head slightly, discreetly settling her glance on Li. He looked at her in that moment. She smiled, a slight, clandestine smile, and turned back to watch the eloquent display.  
  
As the train sped on, the meadow grew farther and farther away. When it had finally died from their sight, they all rotated toward the center of the pleasantly decorated booth, settling back into their tantalizingly warm, inviting cushions.  
  
Sakura sat on the far side of the booth from Li. She crossed her legs, leaning her head back to rest. Li was moving into a similar position across from her, slouching out of his usual straight-as-an-arrow posture and relaxing his head, his eyes closed. Sakura closed her eyes, resolving to rest during the long trip out to the cabins. After a few moments she slowly opened one eye. As she watched him, Li indolently opened his eye. Their half-gazes met. Sakura smiled a little; Li did the same, a rare thing even in highschool. This widened Sakura's smile as she closed her eyes. Li's eye closed torpidly. He thought of the trip ahead.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Meiling looked at Syaoran and Sakura. She smiled and sighed, a dreamy, happy sigh, feignedly forlorn.  
  
Tomoyo looked at the smiling Meiling, smiling herself. "What is it?"  
  
Meiling cocked her head to the side, smiling yet wider.  
  
"At the rate their flirting, they wont need our help anyway… sigh." She smiled, glad that she and Tomoyo were friends, glad that she would be splitting a cabin with the soon-to-be-couple.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
As the train docked, the kids filed out, one-by-one, like excitement covered candies on a conveyor belt, ready for the spirited mountain air to fill them with its… calm… serenity, Li thought. He was among them, along with Takashi, loaded down with Tomoyo's, Meiling's, Chiharu's, and their own baggage.   
  
Needless to say, these ladies packed QUITE a few… eh… "toiletries", so Li and Takashi had their work cut out for them. In fact, nearly all the girls in their class had made their partners carry their "essentials" for them. All, that is, except Sakura. She was standing almost still, her sun glassed eyes taking in her surroundings. With everyone around her hustling and bustling, with her standing so motionlessly, clutching her two bags in front of her, she seemed almost frozen, like a vision of beauty, standing in a field of turmoil…  
  
'Oh… Go-- I'm thinking like a thespian… Stop. Stop, Li, stop.' Li couldn't stop stealing glances at Sakura, even with the huge pile of baggage that was his impediment.  
  
Suddenly Sakura turned, as if she'd felt Li's unguarded stare. It appeared as if she was searching for him. Her brow furrowed, her eyes narrowing slightly. She couldn't see him. And no wonder, with all his excess baggage! She breathed a deep, sighing breath, and turned back around, awaiting further instruction from the sensei.  
  
"Okay, guys, this is what shall happen. We'll get in our groups, bags and all, and we'll march/hike/walk to the cabin area. Then we'll choose our cabins. The cabins already have chaperones, furnishing, etc, so you just go in there, *politely* greet your chaperone, and then *politely* set your things in your room. Simple enough for everyone?"  
  
The class nodded vigorously in comprehension.  
  
"Good; After we have found our houses, we shall unpack. In the morning, we shall meet in the town square, where I shall supply further instruction; is that clear?"  
  
The class vehemently, impatiently nodded again.  
  
"Good. Now, in an orderly fashion, we shall go cabin questing. BREAK!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Ahh!"  
  
"Stop, stoppit, please!"  
  
"Move! Hey, you! Shove off!"  
  
"Oh… oh god… please… kami-sama, help!"  
  
So much for Mr. Terada's admonitions, huh? There were students everywhere, like bees on a honeycomb, writhing about, trying desperately to get the best lodging, the biggest cabin, the richest, prettiest, etc. They were stepping all over one another in their attempts at primeval colonization.  
  
'How in the HELL did _I_ get stuck carrying the bags?' Meiling, stacked with her own and Tomoyo's baggage, was skulking. She remembered.  
  
Flash  
  
"Well, since they're going to be looking for our house together, I think I should record them," Tomoyo had said.   
  
'Tomoyo and her damned camera' thought Meiling.   
  
"AND it's a lot harder to tape properly if I'm loaded down with all my bags, so if you could blah blah blah, blah blah, please? Blah blah, blahblahblah THANKYOU!"  
  
She didn't remember saying anything.  
  
Flash  
  
The next thing you know, ol' Meiling's the carrier. And now, as she stepped over, ducked under, and ran into people, she wondered how they had EVER expected her to keep up.  
  
"Look, there!" Sakura exclaimed, pointing and waving her arms skittishly, vying for Li's attention; they were scoping cabins, hoping to find the coolest, most spacious (Li didn't want Meiling to be close enough to embarrass him), and all around best one.  
  
Li looked in the direction Sakura implied, unable to see anything. He got up off the tree stump he had been occupying, momentarily admiring the flowers at its base, and made his way toward the peppy girl jumping around on the dirt path ahead of him.  
  
"Look, Li!" Sakura pointed again.  
  
"What? What're you talking about?" Li couldn't see a thing ahead, aside from a barely visible path and tall, imposing green trees.  
  
"No, not there! Here." Sakura leaned forward, stabbing at the air above the dense trees with her finger. Li leaned closer to her, trying to see from her point of view. Their faces were a few, very few, inches apart. Sakura glanced over and pinked slightly, but kept her finger out stretched and pointing.  
  
Then he could see it; it was a cabin, not brown our terra colored or whitewashed like most of the cabins, but ivory colored-- or coated, it looked, from their distance. It wasn't built square like the other cabins either; it had a circular-rectangle shape to it, its roundness making it appear more spacious than the other cabins. And it had a beautiful view, over the huge lake and mountains on the one side, the underlying trees that they currently viewed, and the cabin village beyond.  
  
"Wow… it's…" Li was too shocked at its mere existence to respond intelligibly; to find such a palatial cabin in among these was… astounding.  
  
"Beautiful," Sakura finished. Suddenly, she stepped away from Li, a mischievous tint to her lustrous eyes.  
  
"You know, since it took us so long to find this…"  
  
"Then no one will know about it until we're moved in…" The same glint was in Li's eyes. He grinned evilly.  
  
"Shall we?" Inquired Sakura.  
  
"Indeed. Let us round up the troops." Li replied. Sakura giggled and they raced off to find Tomoyo and Meiling.  
  
"MEILING! Meiling, hurry up, Meiling!"  
  
They had found Tomoyo in the nearby bushes, hurriedly packing something away. Sakura was too excited to inquire closely about what it was, so she snatched Tomoyo's hand and hurried her off to find Meiling.  
  
Once they'd found her, they all agreed for Sakura to be the navigator; of course she couldn't go ahead alone, so they selected Li to accompany her. Tomoyo once more "required both hands," so Meiling got stuck with everyone's bags.  
  
As she toiled up the uneven, virtually invisible path, she wondered why she was doing this.  
  
'I never relinquished my claim to be Li's fiancée. He's still legally mine. So why am I trying to hook him up with some other chick, even if she is my close friend?' Meiling was wondering this, ignoring the calling of the others far above her. 'Because…' 'Because what?' Meiling asked herself 'Because you love…' him… Yosho… Meiling stopped her mental complaining and with renewed energy made her way toward the beautiful structure at the end of the path.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
When she finally made it to the summit of the mountainous stretch of land above the forest line, she found the others waiting for her, all sprawled lazily upon tree trunks or grassier patches of earth. They looked up at her noisy entrance.  
  
Sakura smiled at her. "Meiling, do you need some help?" She seemed sincere. 'But Tomoyo-chan told me not to do anything that would prevent Sakura and Li from talking or "bumping together" and stuff… but still, these bags are heavy…' Meiling was torn between her own burden and the relief of sharing it, and her friends' expedition to get Syaoran a girl friend. But Tomoyo, as if she had read her friend's mind, jumped in and quickly said  
  
"I'll help."  
  
She gave Meiling a stern glance that said 'letting Sakura help would have gotten your butt kicked.'  
  
"Thank you, Tomoyo-chan." Meiling's vapid reply hung heavy in the air as they continued.  
  
They were still trekking along the path up to the house. They were around 100 yards away.  
  
"It must have been hard for you, Tomoyo, to give up video taping just to help me," said Meiling, sincerely thankful for Tomoyo's help. Her earlier sarcasm had been relinquished; sharing the load with Tomoyo lightened her spirits as much as it had her hands.  
  
"It's okay; it was wrong of me to ask you to carry all those bags any way. Friends?"  
  
"Of course!" They smiled at each other and turned back to the path in unison.  
  
"Besides, they haven't done anything really worth black mail-- err… worth showing later on the way up; they probably wont do anything now."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Sakura and Li were walking toward the house, a few paces between them, neither wanting to get too close to the other, both wanting _so_ badly to.  
  
'She's so beautiful…' Li was sneaking sidelong glances at Sakura, as he had been during the entire excursion thus far. He was stricken with how gorgeous the forest and mountain lighting made her seem. 'The way the light reflects off her hair, the way her body lifts when she raises an arm to push back those tawny tresses… oh, I've GOT to stop thinking like this.' Li resolved to stop looking at her for the rest of the short, short walk.  
  
'Wow… the way the light outlines Li makes him look so… manly…' Sakura blushed. The sun was shining from slightly above Li's head; it outlined his broad shoulders, his well toned chest, his strong (but not TOO muscular) arms… 'Hoe… I will not look at him; I will not think of him; I will not look at him…' Sakura resolved, coldly.  
  
They had taken the few steps left to the ornately carved door, when Sakura and Li both, simultaneously, broke their resolve; they were caught gazing at each other at the same time.  
  
The door opened and they were still staring.  
  
"Uh… Am I interrupting anything?" asked a woman; not old, but no longer young; not beautiful, though she must have been when she was younger; and seemingly good-natured.  
  
"Uh… no." They both said, blushing. The woman laughed a tinkering laugh.  
  
"Are those your friends?" She gestured toward Tomoyo and Meiling, trundling up the path behind them.  
  
"Yes. We… uh… we saw your cabin (mansion!) from the path, and we wondered if you were part of the field trip…"  
  
"Oh you mean the one where kids come and live with you for a week? Yes, I sure am. I've always wondered why no one ever comes up here… Maybe the house is haunted?" Teased the woman, as she led them to their rooms. Sakura stopped short.  
  
"HOEEE! You have ghosts!?!?" The others sweat dropped as the woman led on. Sakura hung back slightly as they approached their rooms; she was still hung up on the ghost issue. Her teeth chattered as they approached the first room.  
  
"Syaoran," Meiling whispered. "Sakura seems really frightened. You should talk to her, maybe cheer her up."  
  
Syaoran crimsoned slightly, but mastered his emotions, his face a mask. "No, I think she'll be okay." He looked at Meiling, his nose slightly in the air, like he used to do when they were younger; the Stop-talking-right-now-cuz-what-you're-saying-is-stupid-and-I'm-too-smart-to-reply look.  
  
Meiling looked away, keeping her eyes firmly glued to the door ahead.  
  
"Now this room will be for…" The woman's face became a ghastly mix of emotions; Sakura yelped and ran behind Tomoyo.  
  
"Gh-Gh-Gh--- GHoooooost!" She cried.  
  
The woman blinked, seeming to snap back to reality with the maneuver. She put her hand up to her mouth, her eyes crinkled. When Sakura took sight of the woman, she ran behind Meiling, exclaiming,  
  
"It's got her! Oh no, oh, oh! It's got her!" She was pointing fearfully at the woman.  
  
The woman began making strange sounds, clasping her other hand over her mouth. Li looked from Sakura to the woman, a knowing smile briefly replacing his permanent scowl. He nonchalantly walked to the nearby light switch, flicking it upward in one graceful movement.  
  
The woman was doubled over now while Sakura was trembling in fright behind Meiling. Li tried hard not to laugh, for that was what the woman was doing, which apparently Sakura thought was demonic possession. When the others realized what was going on, they too began laughing. Sakura slowly backed away from them all, stuttering,  
  
"You… You're all…"  
  
"We're all laughing at you, Sakura-chan," Tomoyo teased.  
  
"Well then why did your face look like that, Miss?"  
  
"Because I don't know any of you and we skipped introductions!"  
Sakura looked positively baffled. Then she smiled and laughed aloud. She walked back over to the group and then lightly intoned,  
  
"I am Kinomoto Sakura, this is Li Syaoran, Li Meiling, and Daidouji Tomoyo." She had pointed at each in turn.  
  
"And I am pleased to make your acquaintance. I think we'll have a lot of fun together. Why don't you two," she indicated Meiling and Li, "stay here, and you two stay in the room on the other side of the stairs?"  
  
"Well, uh… you see…" Li began stammering.  
  
"Meiling's not Li's partner… I am," stated Sakura, reddening slightly.  
  
"So, then, are you two boyfriend and girlfriend?" She asked, teasing them.  
  
"NO!" they exclaimed in unison.  
  
The woman laughed again, that tinkering, lovely laughter, and said, "Well, follow me then." And led them across a staircase and to another room.  
  
"I'm really sorry about the state of things in here… no one's visited here in quite a while… I hope you won't find the area too… stifling."  
  
Ha. The room was anything but stifling; there were pictures on every wall, varying from beautiful De Vinci's, Vince Van Gou's, to pictures you can tell were cut directly from magazines;  
  
And it all looked so stylish! All the pictures were hanging on a wall, decorated in vibrant, patterned granite, lending sophisticated fun to the entire place. The bureau at the far end of the room was a rich, deep mahogany, a beautiful silver mirror hanging curiously above, shocking color into the room with its stark contrast. Sakura and Li both smiled subconsciously, awed. Then they noticed the rest of the furniture; there were pillows, large-but-not-huge pillows, puffy, comfortable, classy pillows, leaning at eye catching angles all around the room, reinforcing the air of comfortable-friendly-classiness that radiated through this nook of the domicile; there was a love seat, which, upon seeing, Sakura and Li both promptly blushed and redirected their gazes.  
  
The seat was not decorated ornately; it was a pinkish-white, which contrasted and complimented the lovely walls nicely; it looked inviting, enticing… enchanting, the youngsters both thought. 'Now where did that come from,' thought Sakura, blinking and shaking her head to clear it.  
  
"I hope you find it to your liking; not cramped, is it?" The chaperone, Malaya, as they later found out, looked slightly worried; there was a barely visible layer of dust on the top of the bureau. Sakura turned to her, beaming.  
  
"Oh, it's _beautiful_!" She exclaimed.  
  
Malaya smiled, trying to conceal the rosiness in her cheeks from being complimented, and failing miserably. Syaoran ducked his head slightly, covering his smile at the effect Sakura had on people. Truly, no one could resist her genkiness.  
  
"Well, you two put away your things, the closet (which had small but graceful pinkish-white butterflies painted spastically across the bottom) is right over there; it should be spacious, and I don't think there's anything in the bureau over there," she pointed, "to hinder you placing stuff in there… just… make yourselves comfy. I'll be going now; my house is your home. I'll let you start unpacking now." And with that she swept out of the room.  
  
Sakura first placed her radio on the bureau; she hated to work in silence. She quickly and efficiently hung all of her clothes that required hangers, taking care to keep a space so she could see each without moving them; and then there were her personals; she would wait till Li left to do those. She reddened slightly.  
  
"Uh… Li?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Well, I've, uh… got some stuff in my bag that I don't think--" Sakura was blushing furiously with the effort it took to speak of the subject. Li took pity on her, hiding a smile.  
  
"Is any of my business." Li stated, blushing at his thoughts of what they might be, how she looked in them, how she looked ou--  
  
"Yeah. Yeah, that's exactly it… I'm going to go help Meiling and Tomoyo unpack to pass the time… you lemme know when you're done, kay?" She flashed a thankful smile, which in turn made Li giddy. He mastered his emotions quickly, confused, and feigned coughing, turning red with embarrassment. He turned around, facing the other way from Sakura, trying to get her to leave him to his thoughts and his work; that was a mistake.  
  
She hurried from the door to where he was, bending to look into the eyes of his hunched form, concern playing across her ethereal features. Her eyes, the beautiful, vibrant orbs of sea-soaked light that she claimed as eyes, caught him completely off guard.  
  
He stopped coughing, his eyes locked with her own, lost within their endless, bottomless depths; he stopped hunching, coming closer to his full height, looking down at her gorgeous, gorgeous eyes, trying to tear himself away from her gaze; unable to.  
  
His face was getting closer to hers, his nose, his mouth, nearer, nearer still; and she wasn't moving away; his hand was reaching to hers, the other would soon fall eloquently on the small of her back--  
  
"OH!" And in burst Malaya, huffing and puffing, flustered; Li and Sakura quickly spun away from one another, as if they were doing something wrong.  
  
Malaya took no heed. "I forgot to tell you; there're extra towels in the closet right beside your room, the bathroom's on the other side of the closet, and dinner is on at 7:30." She smiled warmly. It was 4:47 at the moment. Malaya left the two teens in a friendly silence, which quickly became a charged, stifling nothing… Sakura couldn't take it any longer; she looked up at Li, who had turned back to her. She accidentally caught his eye and momentarily forgot her task.  
  
"I… I… I…"  
  
Li looked back at her apprehensively, not knowing what he should do.  
  
Sakura finally remembered what it was that she'd been doing.  
  
"I… I… I gotta go… help… yeah, bye!" She bolted from the room like a doe from a hunter, too timid to stay in the heated air of her and Li's room. When she reached Tomoyo's door, she stopped short.  
  
"And then they'll fall completely in love…" both girls inside sighed.  
  
Sakura realized she was being rude; she politely knocked on the slightly ajar door, waiting to be permitted inside.  
  
"Sakura-chan, come in."  
  
"Hey, Tomoyo, how did you know it was me?" Sakura was genuinely curious.  
  
Tomoyo simply smiled; "I always know when it's you." Sakura smiled in return, thinking about how she would one day surprise Tomoyo by knowing when it was her on the other side of the door. She remembered then why she was there.   
  
"Since Li and I are sharing a room and we both have… things… to unpack, he's going to unpack his right now, and I'm going to later… Is it cool with you guys if I help you out till he's done?" Sakura had reddened slightly as she mentioned why she was there, so Tomoyo replied,  
  
"Meiling and I would like to confer momentarily… I'm sure you won't mind waiting?" Sakura nodded her head enthusiastically.  
  
"When she was mentioning Syaoran, did she--"  
  
"Mhmm," said Tomoyo.  
  
"Does that mean she--"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"So if we keep her here--"  
  
"Exactly." Tomoyo smiled a wicked little smile; she and Meiling were going to tease Sakura about Li and try and make her figure out that she liked him.  
  
"Alright, Sakura," Tomoyo said as she turned around, looking serious.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"We have decided…" Tomoyo closed her eyes and took a breath, letting Sakura's suspense build;  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Yay!"  
  
"BUT!" Sakura looked doubtful once more, her hand on her mouth.  
  
"But what?"  
  
"But you must promise to leave Meiling and me to talk during dinner." It sounded innocent enough, which was why Sakura agreed immediately; the truth was, she would have to sit directly beside or across from Li Syaoran. For the entire meal. On the inside Tomoyo was laughing an evil, devilish laugh, while on the outside she smiled warmly. Everything was going according to plan. 'It may turn out to be a pretty interesting night,' she thought. 'I wonder what they'll do when they realize… hehehe, fun fun fun!' She continued to unpack her things.  
  
*************************  
  
Suspense chapter! I never thought I'd catch myself writing one of these! But you know you love suspense, so don't you DARE flame ^.^ What do you think of this chapter? Things may seem a little slow right now, but they'll start to pick up during dinner… It's going to take a little longer to get out the chapters after dinner; intricate plot, yes yes, enjoyable! Well, I hope you liked this, say if you did or didn't!   
  
Ja!  
~!Ada!~  
  
Disclaimer:  
I don't own $#!@ ! Don't sue me! please?  
  
PS If you sue, you'll have to pay more for the lawyer than you can possibly get out of a poor inner city kid with a computer! =oP  
  
REVIEW!  



	4. Interlude: Dinner

Interlude:  
Dinner  
  
It was dinnertime. The Card Mistress, Videographer, and She-Warrior had just finished furnishing the room; it looked like they'd lived there forever!  
  
The walls were an inviting lavender, which complimented Tomoyo's eyes; there were a few decorative pieces in black (a Bust of Paellas, a few ornamental art pieces), which fit Meiling's hair; and the bed was beautiful; a statement in color scheming. However, there was only one; they would have to share it.  
  
Currently, Sakura examined her beautiful blue china bowl: it had a lovely pattern; a picturesque place in a faraway land, screened across the entire interior of the bowl. Her brow furrowed, then relaxed, as the lovely scene playing before her relaxed her onerous mind. She was so tired; she'd been lifting things in Tomoyo and Meiling's room for them, moving the items as they sat on the bed. She shuddered, remembering it.  
  
Flash  
  
"NO! TO THE LEFT! LEFT, LEFT!"  
  
Sakura cringed at the high pitched squeal as it erupted from Meiling; to think that those same vocals could chill one's blood with a war cry, and here they were, employed in a petty squabble. Huh. She and Tomoyo had been arguing heatedly about the positions of many a thing in their room; leaving Sakura to do the actual lifting, "So we can get a better view of how it looks from different angles," they had insisted.  
  
"RIGHT! The LEFT makes it look UGLY! Besides, I can't see my PICTURES when it's to the LEFT!" Tomoyo was fuming, clenching her fists at her sides as she ticked off the "Valid reasons that it looks uglier on the left than the right".  
  
"Hoeeeee." Sakura held a fully loaded little bookshelf; on its own it would have been no inconvenience, however, coupled with Meiling's extensive collection, it was a considerable burden; her arms ached with the effort.  
  
"LEFT! LEFT LEFT LEFT!"  
  
"RIGHT!"  
  
As the two continued their shouting match, occasionally throwing pillows in order to place emphasis on their points, Sakura slowly put down the loathsome bookshelf. She promptly sank to the floor, her bared legs crossing; Click, click click, clickclickclick!  
  
The muted sound was noted somewhere in Sakura's subconscious, her animated mind withdrawing into her own robust senses.  
  
Somewhere, near, a warrior of magnitude, competent in sorcery, was slowly unloading his cargo. Sakura could sense his aura, like a physical presence, niggling at her awareness, tugging at her attention.  
  
She smiled.  
  
'My warrior… my love.' Her fingers curled into the downy carpet, her eyes closing; an unconscious response to the pleasantness of such unbidden, traitorous thoughts.  
  
Her reverie was broken by an insistent "CLICK!" She sat up, releasing her grip on the warm carpet. Her smile fell away from her face.  
  
Her senses told her that the Videographer and Warrior had duked it out; the videographer had won. Sigh. She would have to leave the tenderness of her aura's interaction with Li to lift the ponderous thing.  
  
She stood and turned to face the two combatants.  
  
"So, right, then?"  
  
Meiling steamed, crossing her arms over her chest and flipping her hair to one side; Tomoyo cast a triumphant smile at Sakura.  
  
"Yes, please."  
  
Sakura slowly bent to pick up the offending article. (Click click Click CLiCK)  
  
'HOE! What is that noise!?!?!?' Sakura tried to shrug the away the feeling of impending… something. But still, that noise really did irk her. She put it down to the side effects of having such a long trip, being plunged into new surroundings, et cetera. A shaking of her head and the sensation had passed. She set the bookshelf down where Tomoyo had indicated.  
  
"Now, if we could just figure out where to put this Key board," Tomoyo said, stretching her limbs as though she'd done something physically taxing; hey, _you_ try arguing with Meiling.  
  
"Well, the obvious course of action would be to stick it there," Meiling pointed at an inconspicuous corner of the room, her distaste for Keyboard music evident in her countenance.  
  
Flustered, Tomoyo replied, "Well, no one will ever SEE it there."  
  
"Exactly!"  
  
The videographer indicated a more open area of the room, "It should go here." Her display of obstinacy seemed almost orchestrated.  
  
Meiling and Tomoyo stared daggers at one another; suddenly, in a whirl of sheets and hair, both had leapt from the bed and rounded on Sakura.  
  
""Where do YOU think it should go!"" They demanded simultaneously.  
  
Sakura looked helplessly from one to the other, and with a ringing  
  
"HOEEEEEEEEE!"  
  
She bolted from the room.  
  
A sound akin to giggling followed her down the hall.  
  
Flash (That was rather long, ne? ^.^)  
  
Sakura frowned again, grasping for a topic to distract herself. Small talk. That was always safe.  
  
"These plates are quite lovely, Ms. Malaya-san," Sakura ventured. She smiled genially at the chaperone.  
  
"Oh, do you really think so? I thank you, and my friends call me May-chan." The woman smiled, her countenance radiating warmth throughout the room. The youngsters were all the more at their ease, returning her smile.  
  
The companionable air, however, was not to last.  
  
'Li-kun is sitting right next to me…'  
  
'I am sitting right next to Sakura… oh… my… goodness…'  
  
These thought were punctuated by temperature elevations, and seen as pink running across the cheeks of both Li and Sakura.  
  
"C-c-- Could you p-pass the… uh… potatoes… please?" Li asked. It was a simple question; there was no excuse for the sharp flow of blood to his cheeks that attended it.  
  
"Y-yeah… sure," Sakura complied.  
  
As Sakura was leaning over to get the mashed potatoes, she heard a quiet 'click'.  
  
'Hoe?'  
  
She shot a glance at Tomoyo, who was looking suspiciously innocent. Tomoyo's manner did not waver in the least as Sakura picked up the glass bowl holding the mashed potatoes, slowly straightening in her seat and solemnly handing them to Syaoran. She would have been commended for exerting such reign over her face later, had her hand not brushed Li's…  
  
Both froze:  
  
'Ohmygod.'  
  
'Oh… My… God…'  
  
Sakura snatched her hand back, as if his touch had burned her. Li however, was left in an awkward position; he tried the same action, but his motions were made difficult because of the mashed potatoes he had to contend with. Sakura leaned away from Li in her seat, crossing her legs in the opposite direction, turning her furiously red face away.   
  
(Click, clickclickclick)  
  
Sakura heard the discreet noise, shooting her friend another glance.  
  
Tomoyo was idly toying with her hair, innocuously gazing at the ceiling. When she met Sakura's piercing gaze, she simply smiled, a display of her top row of teeth; a fake smile.  
  
"Oi, Sakura, why are you looking at me?" Tomoyo questioned; widening her eyes slightly, she continued with "Do I have something on my face?"  
  
With her eyes opened so wide, Tomoyo looked like a doe, caught in the headlights of a poacher. She added to this farcical display;  
  
"Oh, oh my goodness, is there cheese on my nose?!?" She quickly covered her nose with both hands; what Sakura didn't notice was that she was holding her breath; Tomoyo turned red with 'chagrin'.  
  
Meiling, on the other side of Tomoyo, was turning red also, though her hands were over her mouth.  
  
The chaperone looked frantically back and forth, trying to discern the situation; 3 of her charges were red; 2 were covering their mouths; 1 was scuttling away from the other; and she herself was simply lost.  
  
"Oh my god!" Tomoyo exclaimed, rising from her chair with such force that it clattered to the floor; Meiling's eyes widened from behind her hands; she slowly began to tip to the side. She finally landed on the floor, resulting in a loud "THUD". She was writhing on the floor, hands never leaving her face.  
  
As Tomoyo ran out of the room, yelling "Oh my God! Oh my God! Omygod omygohd oooooo my gahd!" Meiling shot after her, uttering forth some unintelligible nonsense.  
  
Through this entire ostentation, Sakura had had her hands placed on both her carmine cheeks, shaking her head vigorously, reiterating "Hoe! Hoe! Hoeeeeee!"  
  
May-chan, feeling it was her responsibility to placate all of her guests, was torn between assisting the equivocal Sakura, or rushing after the two mercurially fitful teens.  
  
"OHHHHHHHH MY GOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHDDDD!" With Tomoyo's screech, Malaya's mind was decided for her.  
  
She gave a hasty "I'm so sorry, but I've got to attend those two, please, continue eating, I'll be back in a moment, don't eat all the food, bye!" and took off after Meiling and Tomoyo.  
  
"Sakura?" Syaoran asked. He and she were the only two left at the table, he realized; as the realization hit, his heart beat slightly faster.  
  
"Hoe…" Sakura was completely… zonked, for lack of a better word.  
  
"Sakura?" He tried again. His eyes restlessly searched the room for a topic; what to talk about? 'I got all my unmentionables hung up?' 'My tighty whities are in the second drawer?' Yeah. Right. But he couldn't just sit there and watch her. 'Not that I would actually mind it,' came his contumacious thoughts.  
  
"Hoe… Hoe…" She was shaking her head from side to side now, looking   
  
"Sakura!"  
  
"HOE!" Sakura finally snapped her head up, removing her hands from her face, and looked at Syaoran. She looked into his eyes, his normally brooding eyes, and was stricken by the concern in them.  
  
"Sakura…"  
  
He didn't know what to say. He'd just gotten her attention because… because…  
  
"Hai?"  
  
He timidly raised his fingers, still gazing concernedly into her bright eyes; he touched her hand, the softest brushing of skin over skin. She blushed a light red, a pleasant shiver travelling up her spine. He didn't give her much time to contemplate this, however; he quickly snatched his hand back, looking away sheepishly, reddening.  
  
"I… I think I'll go check on Tomoyo… do you think you can handle being here by yourself?" She asked him. She needed a change of pace, she thought.  
  
"Y… Yeah, yeah, go ahead," he complied, still not meeting her eyes.  
  
"Well…" Sakura was at a loss for words, so she just said  
  
"Bye."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Oh HOHOHO!" Tomoyo was gleefully laughing, jumping around the room, as she and Meiling reveled in the success of their plan. Meiling was in the center of the room laughing, as the chaperone looked confusedly about at the two hysterical teens.  
  
"Eh… am I interrupting anything?" She questioned perplexedly.  
  
Both girls finally stopped laughing. The She-Warrior then stepped forward to explain.  
  
"See, they're our friends, right?"  
  
"Yes…" May-chan drawled.  
  
"And they need help getting together, ne?"  
  
"Mhmm…"  
  
"So we've put a plan into action; earlier, Tomoyo and I staged a few arguments while Sakura was lifting heavy objects."  
  
Tomoyo cut in. "Whenever my precious Sakura-chan is tired enough she always puts down whatever she's carrying and sits down, and she looks so kawaaaiiiiiii!"  
  
Meiling continued, unfazed (that's a real word!). "So Tomoyo used her hide-a-V8-camera to take some risqué photos while Sakura wasn't looking."  
  
"Oh, yeah!" Tomoyo exclaimed. "If you were wondering what that clicking was at dinner… well… Lemme put it this way. When Sakura-chan was leaning over, you saw how her shirt went, right?"  
  
"Yes…" Malaya said, still skeptical.  
  
"Well… Let's just say that Li-kun's reaction to such a view could be… priceless." The ambivalence of the statement was not lost on the good-natured Chaperone.  
  
"You mean…?"  
  
"Black mail!" Tomoyo squealed happily.  
  
"ToMOyoooooo." Sakura was calling after her friend, an earnest note of worry evident in her voice.  
  
"But you're not gonna stop us are you, May-chan?" Meiling's eyes professed the unspoken appeal in this earnest plea.  
  
May-chan looked at them both worriedly then, with a last glance, left the room. Both girls turned to each other simultaneously, wondering if their plans would all come to naught.  
  
"_Shit_" said Meiling. "Shit shit shit," She continued.  
  
Tomoyo didn't bother to rebuke her; she could use colorful language when she chose, and this she considered an appropriate time.  
  
They were sitting-- slumping on the floor of the room when they heard.  
  
"Sakura-chan, I think we should leave those two alone for a bit."  
  
"Hoe?"  
  
"Tomoyo is just a little… high-strung right now, and Meiling is feeling a little ill." She paused for a moment. When she continued, her voice was lowered; "You should take this opportunity to pack your… ahems?"  
  
The vague statement, amazingly, was not lost on our dense heroine. She promptly blushed, but smiled nonetheless.  
  
"Arigatou!" Sakura said jovially. Then, with a flash of white soles, Sakura took off down the hall.  
  
*************************  
  
Did you think May-chan was going to be evil? She's so cool, I luvver! anyway, did you understand any o that? I hope you did…  
  
If you wanna explanation just put a 0 at the end of your REVIEW.  
  
Oh, yeah, I wrote a poem, for you guys:  
  
Tap. tap. tap.  
The computer's soft fulmination.  
Click. click. click.  
I turn in the culmination.  
  
Wrrr. wrrr. wrrr.  
The seconds pass so slow.  
Crank. crank. crank.  
My frantic mind must know.  
  
Check. check. check.  
Is "xing@fanfiction" in lieu?  
Yes! yes! yes!  
Responsible readers DID review!  
  
This is dedicated to all of the GREAT people out there who reviewed! Even the ones who threatened my life! Seeing those messages gives me a HUGE sense of satisfaction!  
  
Thanks, guys!  
  
~!Ada!~  
  
  
Did you notice that I never wrote the word Disclaimer in here?  



	5. Chapter 3b: And They're In

Chapter 3b:  
And They're In  
  
  
After the hysterics were through, they all went into the recreation room and played cards, checkers, etc. Sakura was sitting ('floating really…' Li thought), on the dark pinkish-red loveseat, watching the others with a wistful smile.  
  
Tomoyo had just finished playing cards with the others (Li seemed a little distracted), and spotted Sakura looking so forlorn. She bounded over to her friend and plopped onto the couch beside her.  
  
"Sakura-chan, why don't you play chess?" She queried, a plan already forming in her purple-hued head.  
  
"Hoe?" Sakura was out of her reverie, her eyes focusing on Tomoyo.  
  
"Oh… Well, I don't really want to play." Her voice was weak; she tried masking it with a smile. She missed beating Touya at checkers, losing in poker, playing chess for hours with her dad… she pushed the thoughts from her mind; it was too hard to keep on her smile and think of her home simultaneously. She sighed, a barely audible sound, meant for her ears alone.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
From the other side of the room, Li saw all this as it took place; he had watched as Sakura's aura flickered dimmer before her thoughts were interrupted. He knew she was sad… he just didn't know why. He also knew that she wouldn't appreciate his interrogating her to get to the root of her problem. He clenched his fist and looked away; there was nothing he could do to help his delicate flower.  
  
Suddenly he was struck; he covered his smile and turned back to face Sakura. He knew what he'd do; and it could be fun too!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"C'mon, Sakura, you're not telling me the truth," said Tomoyo, concern painting her face as she looked at her friend.  
  
"I… I don't know what you mean…" Sakura looked away; somehow Tomoyo always knew when she wasn't telling the truth.  
  
The silence grew more and more uncomfortable, neither of them saying anything, the only sounds May-chan and Meiling chatting.  
  
"Hey."  
  
"HOE!" 'Li-kun just talked to me… oh my… wow!' Sakura's eyes became starry as she processed her thoughts. She remembered what she'd thought earlier that week, about how she'd faint if Li every initiated conversation with her; she had to concentrate very hard to keep from swooning. As she fought her emotions for control, Tomoyo began to speak:  
  
"Hey, Li-kun, why don't you and Sakura-chan play chess while us gals play bridge? Hmm? What do you think, Sakura?"  
  
The stars went out of Sakura's eyes as she lowered her head, shaking it from side to side.  
  
"I… Well… I can't," She said, never looking up from the floor. She was too depressed to play a game; even if it _was_ with *him*.  
  
"Sakura! Why ever not!?" Tomoyo said, furrowing her brow in puzzlement.  
  
"Because… because…" She didn't know what to say to her friend; she didn't have to:  
  
"Because she's scared," Li said, a hint of challenge in his voice.  
  
"Hoe!?" Sakura looked up at him, shocked. He simply turned his head, as if to say 'You know I'm right, don't waste my time.'  
  
"How dare you! Fine, let's do it, but only so I can rub your face in it after I kick your sorry--"  
  
"Alright, why don't you two go sit over there," Tomoyo broke in quickly, indicating the corner opposite of where the girls would be playing bridge.  
  
Syaoran trained his gaze on Sakura; she glared back.  
  
"You're on"  
  
"Only if you're ready to lose, Li Syaoran."  
  
They both 'humphed' and turned their noses up in opposite directions, crossing their arms over their chests.  
  
Tomoyo sweat dropped.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Have they made a move YET?" questioned Meiling, craning her neck to view the 'heated' game of chess in the corner.  
  
"Shhhh! They'll hear you! Anyway, I think Sakura-chan is about to go," said Tomoyo. Sakura had chosen the white pawns, Li the black, meaning that she would go first. 'Oh, that's so romantic! It's like Sakura is an Angel and Li-kun is her dark counter-part, trying to woo her… Oh hohoho! They're so kawaii!' Tomoyo clicked on her mini-vid, made to fit in the palm of her hand, so she could record 'moments' discreetly.  
  
Sakura and Syaoran continued to glare at each other, their brows furrowing. Abruptly Sakura stopped glaring, closed her eyes, and uncrossed one arm. She let it hover over her rows of white, as if she were beginning an intricate magic spell. Syaoran unfurled his eyebrows, then furrowed them again in puzzlement. 'What the he--'  
  
Suddenly Sakura seized a pawn, moving it forward two spaces. She crossed her arms back over her chest, a smug, satisfied smile painted on her face.  
  
The three spectators sweat dropped.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Hah!" Syaoran exclaimed.  
  
"I got your queen! Whatcha gonna do now, huh? Oh, and look, you've only got pawns left. Hahaha! Check and mate, by the way." Syaoran was dancing around in circles, elated by his apparent victory.  
  
Sakura looked crestfallen. But she began to smile again, shaking her head, as if she were party to a secret that Syaoran could never know. Her smile widened; and widened more; soon she was rolling on the floor laughing.  
  
"H-hey… you lost… what're you so happy about? I just beat you! Stop laughing! HEY!" Syaoran had stopped dancing. He was standing across the playing field from Sakura, looking puzzled.  
  
Sakura composed her self and then, uncrossing her hands from her lap, eloquently lifted one finger.  
  
"Your king is in check, so you can't move."  
  
"Whattaya mean! Your stupid little pawn can't do anything to my king!"  
  
Sakura held up a hand to stop his ranting. She then moved her pawn forward, took it off the board and replaced it with her queen.  
  
"Huh!?"  
  
"Check," Sakura said, smiling.  
  
"Awww, no way!"  
  
"Oh, yes way!"  
  
Syaoran furrowed his brow, moving his king forward one space and out of harm's way.  
  
Sakura then moved another piece forward, replacing it with a bishop.  
  
"Check and mate," she said simply, smiling.  
  
"How did… What did… Why did… WHAT?"  
  
Sakura continued to smile.  
  
"But I got your queen! I got your bishops, your rooks, your knights… I got your queen! I should have won!"  
  
Sakura stopped smiling then.  
  
"Don't you get it, Li?" Sakura asked. Li looked at her. Something in her eyes caught at his, something that commanded his gaze not to leave hers.  
  
"You don't understand, do you? You were so busy trying to get all my big pieces, you completely ignored the little ones. It was easy to get all my pawns to the other side without being noticed; just because they seemed insignificant to you, you let them by. You can't judge something at a glance; you've got to think about it's potential, what it can do in the future."  
  
Li kept looking at her but he soon dropped his gaze; Sakura walked out of the room, tossing something like "Kitchen… later," over her shoulder.  
  
Li sank into his seat, staring dumbfounded at the floor. He sat, deep in thought, oblivious to the exit of the 3 other females.  
  
***************  
  
  
Sorry that the chapter was so short, but… did you REALLY think it was the end?  
HELL NO!  
  
  
***************  
  
Sakura lay sprawled on the bed in her room. She hadn't realized there was only one; she and Li would have to sleep together; she'd deal with that when it came.  
  
She thought of the time she had spent in the kitchen; If Kero were here, he would've been eating the vanilla pudding she'd found in the fridge and giving her advice, ticking off the top "327 reasons not to go near the gaki."  
  
'Syaoran,' She thought. 'Will I ever understand you? You tell me that your feelings are none of my business; You help me with Terada-baka-sensei; You jump away from me; You carry my bags; you console me; and Kami-sama how you aggravate me! During dinner you were so open. But during chess you were so…' Sakura sighed, a mental and physical exertion. 'Different. Which one of you is real, Syaoran? How will I know?'  
  
These thoughts accompanied her into her fitful sleep.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Li trudged past the kitchen, toward his room. Even his feet protested the action, knowing that Sakura was there. Strange; he had always anticipated sleeping in the same room as that beautiful blossom, and now that it was a reality, he dreaded it. God, how he dreaded it. What could she possibly think of him? Her words followed him as he approached the cubical.  
  
He remembered it all; the look that had impaled him; the quiver in her voice as she said those condemning words. She must be so upset with him. His eyebrows furrowed.  
  
~ You don't understand, do you? ~  
  
No, he didn't understand. He wanted to deny it. He'd wanted to deny it then; he just… couldn't. Because he really _didn't_ understand. He wanted to understand. He wanted _her_ to help him understand; how could he love this girl, this way-too-genki, 17-year-old girl that wore innocence as a body suit everywhere she went? Moreover, how could he TELL her that he loved her? That he'd always loved her. He didn't know.  
  
He heaved a sigh. As his weary mind relaxed with his steady breathing, her words struck him again;  
  
~ Just because they seemed insignificant to you, you let them by. ~  
  
All those times that he'd seen her alone, walking home; All the times he'd seen her chatting happily as she left her huge group of friends; all those opportunities he'd had to confess; all those times he'd put off telling her for another day.  
  
~ You can't judge something at a glance; you've got to think about its potential, what it can do in the future…~  
  
::sigh:: He'd judged his love for her as hopeless; he'd stayed aloof, hoping not to break his own heart by baring its contents. But that was where it ended; there _was_ no future for his love; it couldn't do anything at all. ::sigh::  
  
His leaden feet finally groaned to a halt; he was in front of his door. _Her_ door, he amended. What would he open this door to, at this ungodly hour.  
  
Would he see her sitting on one of those plushy pillows, casting her gaze out the window? If he did, he would join her to watch a storm befitting both their moods. He hoped she wouldn't be.  
  
Would she be sitting at the bureau, crying? God, he hoped not; if she were hurt because of him, he would have to hurt _himself_. He couldn't bear her tears, nor could he stand her unhappiness.  
  
One million different scenarios barraged his mind; would he simply look at her, pretend he didn't care? She must think that already. Would she turn to him, give him a look of… what? What was she feeling?  
  
One way to find out.  
  
He slowly anchored open the door, sending a silent prayer to all the gods he could think of; his eyes scanned the room for signs of her. His gaze jumped to the window and the pillows on its ledge; nothing. His eyes darted to the bureau, searching for any sign of her; nothing. He regarded each individual pillow, checking for her presence; still, nothing. Finally, his eyes slid to the single bed, to meet a sight he was completely unprepared for;  
  
Sakura was curled under the thick blanket, her head pillowed on her hands; her back was to him, but he could still make out her lithe form. She seemed okay, in an apparently peaceful sleep. He face faulted and fell over, his legs replacing where his head had been but a moment ago, a large sweat drop inching its way down his head. But he got up and sighed; what made him think she would give a damn about what he did?  
  
He slowly walked to the bureau, dragging out his boxers, long, green-flannel pants, and a matching button up nightshirt. He cast a furtive glance at the flower, noting the way the moonlight made dazzling even the skin of her shoulder. He quickly shook his head to dispel the train of thought that invariably sucked him in. Instead, he grabbed his clothing, and, with a final surreptitious glance at the ethereal form on the bed, stepped into the dark hallway and approached the bathroom.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Meiling tiptoed out of her room, careful not to disturb the slothfully sleeping videographer. Her softly slippered feet could sense the cool tile of the opulent hall underneath her as she headed toward the ornately carved front door.  
  
She held her breath as she inched the door open; not a sound. She thanked Kami, sotto voce, for allowing her to exit the lodging without hindrance. She stealthily made her way toward a barely visible dirt path, winding through the trees.  
  
She didn't know how long she'd been walking; she didn't care. The only thing that really mattered to her was that she got there in time to see him. She looked up, searching for the stars through that dark green seal of treetops; small points of light shot through the trees, creating a dim, dancing pattern across the carpet of green undergrowth surrounding the path. Not enough light to make out a compass face, but enough to light the road she knew she would take.  
  
After passing countless tree trunks, there was a sudden change in scenery; where there had been tangled undergrowth, there was now well trimmed grass; the trees on all sides were pushed back in a circular clearing; there was a clump of 4 smooth trunked trees in the center, and in the middle of those, soft, mossy grass.  
  
She scanned the clearing, her warrior instincts screaming at her to "Get out! Leave! NOW!"  
  
She ignored them. As she approached the clearing, she kept up her defenses looking suspiciously at it all. Yes, she knew, this was his handiwork; she would commend him later. For the time, she simply stood in the soft growth.  
  
She looked around; nature really was beautiful. The understated affluence of the place calmed her, putting down her guard. The cool mountain breeze rocked blades grass, like waves in the sea. The breeze lifted her hair, caressed her cheek. The breeze tickled her senses, engrossing them all at once. She sighed, closing her eyes as the air escaped her body.  
  
The air in front of her thickened, taking on shape and color. The body of a man, one hand withdrawing from the warrior's cheek, materialized in front of her. The tingling sensation had left with his contact. Her eyes opened, widening in wonder, but she relaxed and smiled up at her love.  
  
"Meiling…" His expression said all that his words did not, his eyes unguardedly tender.  
  
"I missed you too, Yosho," she replied. He seemed troubled; he was holding himself back from something; she thought she knew what.  
  
"You know, you don't have to be afraid to touch me; I'm not afraid to touch you, after all." She smiled. He seemed to snap; he stepped forward and scooped her into his arms, burying his face in her hair. He inhaled her scent, crushing her to his chest.  
  
"I missed you; God, how I missed you!" He told her, kissing her forehead, her nose, both her cheeks. "If you knew, how I burned for you, how I yearned to touch you; How I love you, my princess, my queen, my heart." She closed her eyes and allowed herself to relax in his grip.  
  
"And I told you already that I missed you," she said. She rose on her toes and hugged him closer, wrapping her arms around him.  
  
"Wait." He said suddenly, looking about them. "I forget myself; a moment, my lady."  
  
"A moment from you is an eternity," She replied, freeing herself from him.  
  
He gave a rueful smile. "That it is," he said. He turned on his heels then, and walked once around their enclosure, whispering under his breath. The air shimmered with the magic he was calling; nature magic. He asked the winds to seal their words from the hearing of any but them.  
  
"Now," he said. "As always, business before pleasure; how's this plan of yours going?" he queried.  
  
She looked at him for a moment, then nodded and sighed. "It was going really well, I think, until after dinner in the game room."  
  
"Oh?" He asked.  
  
"Yes." She said. There were a few moments of silence before she looked up at him again. Feignedly irritated, she said, "Well, aren't you going to ask about what happened?"  
  
"No," he replied easily.  
  
She was shocked, and just a little angry at his reply. "Well, why not?"  
  
He turned to her then, a mischievous grin playing on his regal face. "Because you're going to tell me anyway," he said, amusement in his gray eyes.  
  
"Mou! Yosho!" Meiling turned huffily around, playfully awaiting his next move. She was glad that he had had some reason for his earlier answer. She crossed her arms over her chest.  
  
Suddenly there were two hands at her elbows, warm breath on her neck. Her heart quickened slightly.  
  
"Meiling," came a singsong whisper. A tingling shiver ran down her spine. She dropped her arms from their defensive position. Kami-sama, this man could work her buttons.  
  
"Meiling," the voice said again. She closed her eyes as his lips brushed the skin of her neck, tilting her head to the side. He moved his hands from her elbows to the front of her night attire; he gripped her close to him with one hand, slipping under the bottom of her shirt to rest his other. The skin of her stomach tingled with the warmth of his touch. His finger traced the center of her waist, trailing its way down, down… His hand lighted on the pants to her set.  
  
She turned in his embrace then, looking up at him. His eyes held her as he lowered his face to catch her lips. There was electric fire where their lips met, hunger and passion fused. Her hands traveled through his downy black curls. Her breath came faster, then caught when his wandering hand tugged at the top of her night pants.  
  
"No," she said softly. "Not here, not now; not yet."  
  
He stepped away from her, his breath catching in his throat. "I can't control myself when it comes to you! You drive me wild! You torture me, Mei. Your scent beckons me; your look bends me to your will; your touch, ah, that searing touch; how I yearn for it! My passion for you eats at me, burns me to my very soul!"  
  
The revelation struck her; she'd had no idea what her effect on this man was. She had never even thought that she could affect him as he did herself, that she could make his body ache for her as she did for him. The knowledge quickened her pulse and flushed her cheeks. It opened her eyes and her heart.  
  
"Yosho," he didn't look at her. "Yosho," she continued, "I… I… I love you…" She flushed, much like her cousin, as the words escaped her mouth. She looked away from his turning form, confused, embarrassed; more then a little apprehensive.  
  
"You toy with me; you tell me what I dream, what I wish to hear;" He continued, more softly, with, "What I have wanted to hear for a lifetime."  
  
She looked up at him, wide-eyed with any mixture of shock and elation. Every time that he had said the word love before, she had always thought he wanted something; now she knew, he had only wanted her to say it back.  
  
She stepped forward, pushed herself up on her toes, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him. This kiss was different from the ones that they'd had before; there was nothing hungry or urgent in it; no hormones driving its cause; simply love, spilling into and filling the one, who returned it to the other.  
  
A while later, they reluctantly pulled away from one another; Meiling subconsciously touched a hand to her lips.  
  
Her love smiled at her; "Now, then, what say we sit in this lovely grass while you tell me of all that life has battered you with?"  
  
She returned his smile; "Let's shall."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Hmmm." Tomoyo made a soft noise in her sleep, turning over in her empty bed; Meiling had yet to return. Her dreams, however, held company better than any she'd had for a while; in her dreams, she was talking to Eriol Hiiragizawa.  
  
It had all been carefully orchestrated, of course; the plush carpet with the peony theme; the glass table that she was presently lifting her tea from; the expensive armchair that she sat in, and its partner across from her. There was a fire going on the one side, a cool breeze blowing on the other; the area around them was a simple expanse of dark.  
  
"So, Miss Tomoyo, how do you?" Eriol said, smiling over his tea.  
  
She smiled back. "It's all going quite well, actually. I thank you for the whole black mail suggestion; I think it's really going to put a kink into Li's thinking of her as an innocent ten-year-old. At least, he'll notice that she's grown up on the outside." She grinned, sipping at her hibiscus tea.  
  
"As have you, Miss Tomoyo," Eriol said as he lifted his teacup to his lips. She nearly spit hers out; it was not unusual to receive a compliment from Hiiragizawa Eriol, but never did he say anything so… direct.  
  
She blushed a limpid red as she finally replied "Thank you…" He smiled innocently.  
  
"Now, how are the living arrangements working out?" He smiled the 'I-hope-you're-torturing-my-cute-little-descendent-sufficiently-in-my-place' smile. She smiled her 'you-know-me-too-well' smile.  
  
They continued to sip their tea in companionable silence before Eriol finally said "Well, I really should get back to my own body; it's hard to have carryon an out of body spell and sleep at once, you know." He smiled again, his eyes crinkling at the corners.  
  
"Oyasumi, Hiiragizawa-kun, and sweet dreams," Tomoyo said, putting down her tea and sitting back in her armchair. Her hands played over the ornate wood that lined the armrest.  
  
"Goodnight, Miss Tomoyo, and sweet my dreams shall be," He said, standing up with a smile. She watched as he walked away and his form disintegrated into the darkness of her mind. When his body had left her sight, she heard what she knew to be his voice in a faint whisper;  
  
"I'm sure I'll dream of you."  
  
She smiled as her cheeks pinked slightly.  
  
  
******************************  
  
Soooooo? Whatcha think? You like Yosho? He's so… intense ^.^  
  
Silverlight brought up a good point in her review; she said that blackmail seems more like Eriol's thang than Tomoyo's; I thought so too, but I had already had the scene you just read in mind at the outset; I hadn't known how to incorporate some ExT, but it struck me; HE'S GOT MAGIC!  
  
Oh, and If you don't like Yosho…::sniffle… the first character that I don't have to disclaim and nobuddy likes 'im… sniff:: Say so and I'll… I dunno, I'll kill him or something ^.^ But I really think that Meiling should have sumbuddy, you know? I mean, most fics say "Syaoran got sick of that possessive bitch and dumped her". I have a soft spot for Meiling, and I think that even possessive hoydens deserve to find love… ^.^; call me a softie, I don't care ^.^  
  
And about the whity tighties; uh, I couldn't think of a rhyme for boxers so… eh hehehe… err… what was I supposed to do? Soccer boxers? he can't have just ONE kinda boxer, you know!?!?!  
  
REVIEW! And if you don't then… NO MORE POEMS! BWAHAHAHAHA!  
  
Disclaimer: In honor of my supah fly, gray eyed Yosho, I DON'T own Sakura, Syaoran, Takashi, Chiharu, Meiling, Tomoyo, Eriol, Ayame, Ayane, Tenchu, Tenchi, Usagi, Darien, Molly, Nephrite, Zoisite, Malachite, Naoko, Rika, or Terada-sensei; I only own May-chan, Yosho-sama, and the kids that made dirty jokes in the back of the class.  



	6. Chapter 4a: The Job

Chapter 4a:  
The Job  
  
  
"WAKE UP! RISE N' SHINE, KIDDIES, IT'S-A MORNIN' TIME!" The usually unobtrusive Malaya had made a hidden talent of being able to project her voice through every inch of that over-sized cabin of hers. It proved effective as 3 disgruntled teenagers tumbled down the stairs, to land in a tangle of displaced limbs in front of their chaperone.  
  
"Now, you three take your seats right over there," she began jubilantly, indicating the chairs surrounding the heavily laden table that they were to choose their breakfasts from. She continued; "While I go wake up that sleepy headed friend of yours. Make yourselves comfy, you can start without us." And with that she ascended the stairs, as if carried by the cool morning breeze.  
  
They took their seats in deathlike silence, their drastically different moods the combatants for control over the general feeling vibrating through the air. A pensive Syaoran sat across from the smiling Tomoyo; Tomoyo was seated next to an… irritable Meiling. She looked like she'd had quite a night; her hair was plastered to a few odd parts of her head, while it spoofed out in all directions in others. Her left eye twitched haphazardly.  
  
Before the silence could grow uncomfortable, Tomoyo took the opportunity to interrogate both her companions.  
  
"Hey," she said, her tone bespeaking innocence and warmth. "How did you sleep on your first night in the mountains, Meiling?" She gave her friend an innocuous smile.  
  
Meiling's eye twitched severely before she answered. "None…" twitch, "of… your… damn… business."  
  
Tomoyo smiled as though her friend had said 'The weather is beautiful' before she replied. "You seem so moody this fine spring morning. Perhaps you should step outside and let the air soothe your spirits, ne?" 'And then I can find out exactly where you were… and who you were with,' she added to herself.  
  
Meiling's eyes torpidly closed… Tomoyo and Li watched in slow motion as her head fell forward, forward, wisps of her ill-kempt hair carried on the breeze, forward… onto her cold, hard plate. *Clink* Both Li and Tomoyo sweat dropped as soft nonsense sounds came from her parted, almost-drooling lips.  
  
"Eh hehehe…" Tomoyo's nervous laughter reflected both their thoughts. "So, Li… err… How'd you sleep?" She indulged herself as she, smiling, added, "I'm sure you had lovely dreams sleeping beside my lovely Sakura-chan."  
  
He gave her a weak glare. "Drop it, wench." Came his terse reply. But he remembered vividly every splendent detail of what had happened after he returned from the bathroom on that luminous night.  
  
Flash  
  
"Syaoran…" Sakura turned toward the door at his light footfall. She was still fast asleep, but her brow was wrinkled; her dreams did her no good. He fought against his instincts; he didn't rush to her bedside and hold her like she would never wake up again; He didn't wake her up with a kiss and tell her that everything would be okay. He didn't do anything that his heart told him; instead, he walked slowly over to the bureau, put the clothes that he had worn earlier away, and then slowly approached the bed.  
  
"Syaoran…" She said his name again. He looked at her this time and ignored his rational mind; he touched the tip of his fingers to her cheek. She was soft, so soft… her skin was delicate, like the flower that was her namesake. He gently stroked a thumb over her cheek; she smiled in her sleep.  
  
Watching her, his innocent flower, snapped him back to reality; he quickly turned from her and walked a few steps from the bed. He sat on a pillow, facing the window. He had been positive it would rain; wrong again, prejudger-Syaoran.  
  
He sighed, the freedom of air from his lungs. He began the intake of a long, meditative breath.  
  
"Mrrrmph," Sakura groaned; her dreams really were troubling her. He tried to ignore the distressed blossom's unsteady breathing and the woefulness about her aura.  
  
"Ngh," she grunted. That did it. He couldn't just sit there brooding while the love of his life was suffering; he bolted from the warm pillows that were to be his bed and rushed to her side. He took a breath and hesitantly moved his hand toward hers. He settled his palm over her hand and spoke to her.  
  
"I'm here, Sakura," he said simply. His grip on her hand tightened as he continued. "I'm right here, don't worry."  
  
"Li?" Uh oh. The re-formalization of his name alerted him to her wakefulness. He gravely waited for her to pull her hand away from him, to turn from him, for her to make plain his rejection. He waited in vain; instead she smiled at him.  
  
"I knew you'd come." The simple statement quickened his pulse and put down his guard. He couldn't just leave it at that, invite silence to swallow the only chance he may have to make amends for what he did earlier…  
  
"I'm… sorry," he said lamely. This didn't put her off though; instead she asked,  
  
"Why?" Her eyebrows furrowed in confused concern. She wondered what he was apologizing for. What could he have done?  
  
"I'm just… sorry. For everything. For how we met; for how I've been treating you… I'm sorry." With his final words said, he looked away and drew back his hand. He continued. "I… I'll sleep on those pillows over there… so you can get the bed…" he looked at her then. "Beautiful…" he murmured. "sleep… yeah."  
  
She looked at him, her eyes gleaming in the moon soaked darkness. "Yes, the bed is beautiful. And it's very big; there's plenty of room for you." She looked down then, chagrinned.  
  
"Err… I uh… The pillows are fine," came his lame reply. He turned. As he was walking toward the heap of pillows that was his bed, he felt a soft tug at his sleeve. He turned to face Sakura.  
  
She spoke; "No… stay," she said. Her eyes, those beautiful, verdure eyes, pleaded with him. "Stay with me," she repeated.  
  
"But… pillows," he said feebly as she pulled him toward the bed. He allowed her to as she replied. "No sir, Li Syaoran, you're staying right here." And with that she plunked him onto the bed, a small stretch of cover separating them.  
  
A red wind blew heavily on the cheeks of the warrior and the sorceress. The awkwardness of his position muddled his thoughts. He wondered vaguely if she knew how seductively her silken pink, thin strapped nightdress hugged the curves of her body. He had spoken none of this aloud, however.  
  
"You wanna… top err bottom?" His voice was muffled, his blush rising, as he realized how the innocence of the statement had been misconstrued. "Err.. eh… what I meant was… see"  
  
"How about we both get bottom?" She said innocently. It was clear she had not realized the ambiguity of the statement when she continued with "I mean, there's plenty of room. Why are you looking at me like that?"  
  
His look spoke the embarrassment that speaking on such a subject often would raise in a young man such as he. He wondered how to answer, whether she truly took his meaning, or if his innocent Cherry blossom was some kind of undercover nympho-maniac.  
  
"Look, Li," she began, seriously; "we're both responsible young people; I think we can handle ourselves as well with both of us *under* the blanket as with one freezing on top and the other nice and toasty on the bottom." She continued, sidling under the covers, mischief alight in her sparkling, virescent eyes. "Unless YOU'RE scared."  
  
"!"  
  
If he had had any doubts before, they were all put to rest now; she had challenged his Li pride! "I'll show YOU who's scared!" With a spark of playful abandon, he dived across her sprawled form and under the covers. She giggled, the sound muffled by her hands.  
  
"Well, now, that was so terribly hard, ne?" She said, smiling.  
  
"You have no idea…" he mumbled. He blushed at his own unseemly mind as she asked  
  
"Hoe?" The girl really was confused. She smiled nonetheless. Her easy openness always put his guard down; he gave a slow, small smile in return. His smile widened, turning mischievous.  
  
"I said, you're not gonna get away with trying to damage my Li pride. Oh, it really is a mistake to displease He Who Knows Your Tickle Spots!"  
  
Her eyes widened in mock terror, her mouth a huge, gaping O. He pounced on her then, lightly sitting on her thighs, his hands bear claws. He rushed at her as she uttered a delighted squeal. As his fingers glided over her sides, she squirmed, frantically attempting to hold in her laughter; he was relentless.  
  
He stopped for a moment, bringing his lips closer to her ear; she blushed a little, noting the proximity between them. His breath warmed her cheek as he whispered, "Give?"  
  
She was panting, but he wouldn't win so easily; she quickly formed a plan, sketching it out with the blink of her eye. She turned an orchestrated pout on her warrior and lowered her eyes. He rolled from her legs; freedom.  
  
Big Mistake, Li.  
  
Quick as a flash, she was on him, sitting on his abdomen. She had one leg on either side of his body, looking down at him condescendingly. "Really, Syaoran," she said, mock-scolding him. "I should think a _warrior_ of YOUR learning would know never to allow a *powerful* enemy too much freedom before they are completely disabled, or defeated, as you are now." She smirked, crossing her arms over her chest.  
  
All the while that she had been speaking, his hand had been moving into place, sliding unnoticed up her thigh. When his hands rested on the hem of her night skirt, she finally stopped speaking. "Are you done yet?" he asked innocently. Insolently, really.  
  
As he had planned, Sakura flared her nostrils, uncrossing both her arms, raising them above her head. In a wink, his hands had encircled her waist, uprooted her from his body, and thrust her backwards into the downy bed. She had time to utter a surprised  
  
"HOE!?" Before he un-benignly exacted his revenge.  
  
His hands were everywhere, walking the waters of her flesh, sending goosebumps raging rampant through her body. It confused her, how he could make her body shiver with more than just laughter. What was this feeling she had, this strange warmth that grew within her each time she saw him? She dropped the issue, as she already knew the answer, and came back to the present; she had barely the breath to giggle, let alone breath, but she had a plan.  
  
Sakura, calculating devil, watched him; she watched the muscles of his arms, holding in her laughter, looking for an opening. She watched for a few moments, watched for--  
  
AHA!  
  
She stormed his sides with her fleeting touch, gauging his reaction in his sharp intake of breath, the reddening of his cheeks, the assuage of his assault. Her hands were their own entity, out of her control; the only thing her muddled senses registered was the way the moonlit window bathed his body in tanned white-gold, how pleasant his weight was on her, his warmth. He was reddening; he was holding back his boyish giggle, the one that only she had heard before. His chest heaved and finally--  
  
She had him!  
  
His fingers left her completely, as hers did him, and for a moment she knew disappointment. It was not to last, that sharp, strange sting, as they both gave into a childish fit of laughter, laughing, smiling, laughing, blushing, laughing.  
  
Finally, they found themselves sprawled carelessly over that huge bed, reminiscing. Syaoran was content there, staring up at that moon-cloaked ceiling, surprised at how proficient he was becoming at not staring at the honey-haired beauty that graced the space beside him. He half listened to her recollection of 'that time at the beach when we'. He suppressed an unbidden smile, his hands behind his head as he lay there, almost perfectly content to listen to her sweet as sugar voice, teasing his tortured-teen mind with that strange huskiness that it encompassed every now and again.  
  
"Syaoran, why'd you stay?" He was startled out of his reverie by her closeness, her warm breath so near his neck. A faint redness overtook the planes of his face.  
  
Sakura walked her fingers over his flannel-bearing chest. So handsome, this virile, tender aged youth! He really was more man than boy, she thought, as she felt the contained hardness that was his light-bathed torso. She marshaled her thoughts;  
  
"Well?"  
  
"Hm?" Syaoran realized he hadn't answered her question. How *could* he? Could he tell her? Could he tell her that he'd stayed because of her? That he was there because he loved her? He knew for sure; no.  
  
"Because." He said noncommittally.  
  
"Because what?"  
  
"Just… because," he said with a cryptic smile.  
  
She didn't question him any further. She simply scooted closer to him, laying her hand over his warm chest before she slowly drifted into her misty dreams.  
  
"Because I love you," she imagined him saying as the weariness finally overtook her.  
  
"Because I love you."  
  
Flash  
  
"Syaoran!" The admission from so close to his ear shocked him back into the present.  
  
"Syaoran, what were you dreaming about? Whatever it was, it really did space you out. I never knew you and Sakura-chan would make such active bedfellows." Tomoyo left no ambivalence to this statement; she clarified any confused with her impish grin.  
  
Syaoran took a deep breath and tried to quiet the roaring in his ears. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.  
  
"AH-RIGHT, PEOPLE, UP AND AT EM, LET'S GET THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD!" Meiling's head groggily rose from her breakfast china, some of her glossy hair glued to her face. Tomoyo stifled giggles as she watched her friends' breakfast antics.  
  
Sakura floated down the stairs, her house robe wafting out behind her. When she reached the foot, she gave them all a slow, sleepy smile.  
  
"Ohayo, minna," she said. She took her seat, next to the blushing Syaoran, in a cascade of floating fabric.  
  
Ohhh, he thought, breakfast would be long.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Silence.  
  
No noises. No words. Just. Silence  
  
Deafening silence.  
  
Unbearable silence.  
  
As soon as Sakura had had herself seated, breakfast had been dealt out. Syaoran had been sitting there, pensive as ever, his face tomato-red. Meiling had woken up momentarily to allow food onto her plate. Tomoyo simply sat, that displaced smile on her glossy lips.  
  
Malaya-san cleared her throat before she attempted to lift the stifling silence that threatened to ruin her breakfast.  
  
"Well… Ah… How did everyone sleep?" she asked with a smile. What was meant to be a conversational subject caused a deep, deep blush to heat the cheeks of 2 of her charges; 1 let out a noise like "Hanyaaaan…", while the other grunted from her sleeping place on her empty saucer.  
  
Attempt Failed.  
  
"Well," she decided to try again, "did we all have pleasant dreams?"  
  
Blush. Blush. "Hyaaaaaannn". "Mrph, grumble, didn't get no damn sleep, grumble, grumble"  
  
Attempt Failed.  
  
After about 7 more tries with the same results, she threw all pretenses to the wind; if she couldn't get them to talk, she could at least amuse herself!  
  
Syaoran looked at her, noting the malignant glint in her eye, before she began to speak:  
  
"Syaoran," she said, nonchalantly stabbing her eggs with her fork. He gulped. "Did you sleep well with Sakura? You didn't try anything on her did you?"  
  
"Eep!"  
  
May-chan continued;  
  
"Well, Sakura?" she asked. "He didn't try to feel you up, did he? I heard some strange noises coming from your room last night."  
  
Red. Red red red. So red. Syaoran and Sakura looked at each other.  
  
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"  
  
They both flushed even deeper reds and bolted for the opposite doors.  
  
"Igottagothanksforbreakfastgonnagettajobnowbye!" Syaoran said as he slammed the door behind each other.  
  
May-chan slowly chewed her eggs, a smile curling her lips. These youngsters were such fun. She closed her eyes, savoring the taste of her well-seasoned eggs.  
  
"That was fun," she said.  
  
Tomoyo agreed completely.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Li! Hey, Li!"  
  
Yamazaki Takashi noted Syaoran's flushed face as he sprinted full tilt into the square, his fleetly feet kicking up dust on the path behind him.  
  
"Hey, Li," he called again, "Slow down!"  
  
He did. As he approached his friend at a walk, the redness didn't go out of his face as he caught his breath, Takashi noticed.  
  
"Hey, man, what's wrong?" He was genuinely concerned for his friend.  
  
"Breakfast… nothin'." Syaoran said. His face reddened slightly.  
  
"Whatever you say," Takashi supplied. He smiled suddenly. "Hey, do you know what you're gonna be? I'm gonna be a History professor, if they've got those; college professors get a lot of money, you know? Gotta support my Chiharu."  
  
Syaoran wasn't sure if college professors got a lot of money or not; he eyed his friend suspiciously before he made his reply: "Your Chiharu? Is that why you cancelled on me? For _your_ Chiharu?" His voice was harsh in his own ears.  
  
"No!" he said fervently, "That's not it, it's cause I… well…" he blushed.  
  
Li softened his expression, offering a small smile to his friend. "You love her, Takashi. You know you do. Face it." His voice had lost the edge on it.  
  
Yamazaki Takashi looked at his friend for a moment before averting his gaze again, a light pink tingeing his cheeks. His lip curved up slightly before he made his reply:  
  
"I could say the same for you," he quipped.  
  
To think, that a seasoned warrior would blush so vividly at the mention of  
  
"Sakura," Takashi whispered.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Is that clear, everyone?" Terada-san had just outlined how they would find their jobs. They were to go to the table that had their sought job, fill out an application, get accepted or rejected, and then get to work. Child's play, ne?  
  
"Now, in an orderly fashion, we shall begin. Ready?!"  
  
Everyone nodded emphatically.  
  
"Begin!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Oh, Jesus, help!"  
  
"AHHHHHHHHHHH"  
  
"Not AGAIN! NO!"  
  
Syaoran watched everyone from his vantage point; a high, leafy Cherry Tree. He leaned his head back in its welcoming branches and sighed. Something about being around those pink-white flowers always calmed him. Maybe it was because they reminded him of a svelte girl named after them. Either way, he was okay from where he was.  
  
He had already turned in his application; he'd been the first one in line for it. For now he would just stay in the safety of his tree and hope that the chaos unfolding beneath him wouldn't be TOO reminiscent of when they'd been house searching-- which, he was afraid, it would be…  
  
  
******************************  
  
Does that even count as a cliff hanger? I'm sorry it took so long to get this chapter out; it was like 20 pages long, but I had to cut it down (which took a WHILE! ^.^;) so that I could have a series that made sense. Okay, people if you've made it this far, you may as well review! ^.^  
  
The next Chapter's going to be pretty long. You'll see a little black mail then, and possibly Sakura trying to be a conventional housewife ^.^  
  
Oh, by the way, I'm a strong believer of Girl Power, so it's not ONLY the guys that'll be getting jobs! If S+S get into a little spat when Li comes home, Sakura may get a job just to spite him ^.^ It all depends on what you want, we'll have to see.  
  
Hope you enjoyed this chapter, more to come LATER!  
  
Review!  
  
~!Ada!~  



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